Buoyancy system



Mamba, 1943. J. HERA", ,Ei- 2,313,295,

BUOYANGY' SYSTEM Filed Feb.. 24, 1940 .2 sheets-Sheet 1 Patented Mar. 9, 1943 2,313,295 UoYANoY SYSTEM Jean Hrail and Raymond Gauthier,

Paris,

France; vested in the Alien Property Custodian Application February'24, 1940, Serial No. 320,728 In France February 25, 1939 7 claims'. (e1. 114-122) The present invention concerns a buoyancy system comprising a number of mountings, pivotally connected one to the other in a manner to form a sustaining and stabilizing device to be used on a smooth or even rough surface of a body of water.

An object of the invention is to provide a buoyancy system whose mountings arecomposed of tiltable frames pivoted independently around axes acting also as tie bars which connect the side beams of the frames with each other'.

It is also an object of the invention to'provide each element of the device with an outer or bearing frame, intermediate frames and buoyant frames, which latter are provided with buoyant rollers.

Another object of the invention is to connect the two longitudinal beams of the outer frame by means of a median articulation with a superstructure, for instance, a platform.

The above mentioned mountings constitute but one element of the device. According to the invention a complete device comprises a plurality of such elements, more particularly so as to provide a marine platform suitable for revictualment bases at sea, particularly for air transports over the oceans. In such a' marine application, a great advantage of the device of the invention consists in the fact that the'platform rlying on the body of water is not influenced by the swell of the sea, remains stable, and minimizes the action of the waves and currents by the play of the frame articulations, buoyant rollers and the various beams constituting the frames.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 illustrates diagrammatically a plan View of a single element of the device, and

Fig. 2 illustrates diagrammatically in elevation, the same element in one of its movements.

Each element of the device is composed of a number of frames A, B, C which are pivotally connected with each other and a plurality of buoyant rollers F mounted in the frames A.

According to Fig. 1, the element contains four frames A, each consisting of two side beams, the ends of which are connected with each other by tie bars l. Each frame A is pivotally mounted about a rod 2 passing through the center of the side beams and each frame contains two buoyant rollers F rotatably supported by the side beams about axes parallel to the rods 2.

Each frame B consists of two side beams, the ends of which are connected with each other by the rods 2, each of which as stated above rotatably supports a frame A. The center of the side beams of each frame B are traversed by a rod 3 which forms the pivot axis of the respective frame B. Since each buoyant element contains four frames A, it follows that two frames B are required, each of which supports two frames A.

Both frames B are pivotally supported by a frame C formed by two side beams and the two rods 3 which not only serve as pivot axis of the frames B, but also as tie bars for the ends of the frame C. Furthermore, the rods 3 serve also as pivot axis of the lower ends of upwardly extending beams D (Fig. 2) the upper ends of which are connected with each other by a tie bar at :x: and, in a manner not shown, are connected by any suitable means to a floor or platform or any other desired superstructure, which latter, of course, is connected with a number of the buoyant elements just described.

If we assume such a platform as above described, being supported by'its buoyant rollers F on the surface of the water, the side beams of the frame C may perform either a tilting, swinging motion or a gyratory motion, according as the beams D are mounted on the tie bars 3 or at C. In Fig. 2, the arrows indicate the great yielding qualities of articulation of the frames A, B and C, with respect to the axes 3 andthe various motions they can perform.

Having now described this invention and in which manner same is to be performed, what we claim is:

1. In a buoyancy system, a buoyant element comprising a frame composed of two horizontal side beams and two transverse rods connecting the ends of said beams with each other, two additional frames each pivotally mounted on one of said transverse rods and provided with two tie rods extending parallel to said rods. a plurality of third frames, one for each said tie rods and pivotally mounted on the same, and buoyant rollers mounted in said last named frames and rotatable about axes which are parallel to said tie rods.

2. In a buoyancy system, a plurality of buoyant elements each of which including a frame composed of two horizontal side beams and two transverse rods connecting the ends of said beams with each other, two second frames each pivotally mounted on one of said transverse rods, said second frames comprising each two side beams and two tie rods connecting the ends of said last named side beams with each other, said` tie rods extending parallel to said rods on which said last named side beams are mounted, a plurality of third frames, one for each said tie rods and pivotally mounted on the same, and two buoyant; rollers mounted in each of said third frames and rotatable about axes which are parallel to said tie rods.

3. In a buoyancy system, a plurality or buoyant elements each of which including a frame composed of two horizontal side beams and two transverse rods connecting the ends of said beams with each other, two second frames each pivotally mounted on one of said transverse rods, said second frames comprising each two side beams and two tie rods connecting the ends of said last named side beams with each other, said tie rods extending parallel to said rods in which said last named side beams are mounted, a plurality of third frames, one for each said tie rods and pivotally mounted on the same, and two buoyant rollers mounted in each of said third frames and rotatable about axes which are parallel to said tie, the axes of rotation of said buoyant rollers being positioned in a common plane and being spaced equidistant from the tie rod about which the respective third frame is rotatable.

4. In a buoyancy system, a plurality of buoyant elements each of which including a frame composed of two horizontal side beams and two transverse rods connecting the ends of said beams with each other, two second frames each pivotally mounted on one of said transverse rods, said second frames comprising each two side beams and two tie rods connecting the ends of said last named side'beams with each other, said tie rods extending parallel .to said rods on which said last named side beams are mounted, a plurality of third frames, one for each said tie rods and pivotally mounted on the same, two buoyant rollers mounted in each of said third frames and rotatable about axes which are parallel to said tie rods, and means for supporting a superstructure extending upwardly from said rst mentioned frame.

5. In a buoyancy system, a plurality of buoyant elements each of which including a frame composed -of two horizontal side beams and two transverse rods connecting the ends of said beams with each other, two second frames each pivotally mounted on one of said transverse rods, said second frames comprising each two side beams and two tie rods connecting the ends of said last named side beams with each other, said tie rods extending parallel to said rods on' which said last named side beams are mounted, a plurality of third frames, one for each said tie rods and pivotally mounted on the same, two buoyant rollers mounted in each of said third frames and rotatable about axes which are parallel to said tie rods, and means for supporting a superstructure extending upwardly from the ends of the two horizontal side beams of said rst mentioned frame.

6. In a buoyancy system, a plurality of buoyant elements each of which including a frame composed of two horizontal side beams and two transverse rods connecting the ends of said beams with each other, two second frames each pivotally mounted on one of said transverse rods, said second frames comprising each two side beams and two tie rods connecting the ends of said last named side beams with each other, said tie rods extending parallel to said rods on which said last named side beams are mounted, a plurality of third frames, one for each said tie rods and pivotally mounted on the same, two buoyant rollers mounted in each Aof said third frames and rotatable about axes which are parallel to said tie rods, and means for supporting a superstructure extending upwardly from the ends of the two horizontal side beams of said rst mentioned frame, and pivotally connected to the same.

7. In a buoyancy system, a plurality of buoyant elements each of which including a frame composed of two horizontal side beams and two transverse rods connecting the ends of said beams with each other, two second frames each pivotally mounted on one of said transverse rods, said second frames comprising each two side beams and two tie rods connecting the ends of said last named side beams with each other, said tie rods extending parallel to said rods on which said last named side beams are mounted, a plurality of third frames, one for each said tie rods and pivotally mounted on the same, two buoyant rollers mounted in each of said third frames and rotatable about axes which are parallel to said tie rods, and beams for supporting a superstructure extending upwardly from said rst mentioned frame, said beams being pivotally attached with their lower end to the transverse rods of said rst mentioned frame, and a transverse tie bar connecting the pairs of beams on each side of said frame with each other at their upper end.

JEAN HRAIL. RAYMOND GAUTHIER. 

